It All Happens So Fast
by MischievousLeprechaun
Summary: A collection of one shots about Jill and Eustace between the Silver Chair and The Last Battle. Just a bit of fun. Jill finds herself behind the gym again, and Eustace goes looking. Romance follows.
1. It All Happens So Fast

**A/N: Hello! This is another one of the ideas that are floating around in my head. This is another '**_**Collection of One Shots**_'**, and I have another one. Things just keep getting weirder… Well, I hope you like these, and there are plenty more to come!**

_**It All Happened So Fast**_

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><p>Jill Pole had once again found herself at the back of the gym where she used to go to escape Them. It had been a long time before she had felt the need to come back here again. She was stood on the little path that ran between the back of the gym and the shrubbery. She wasn't crying, and she told herself she wouldn't. It would seem frightfully babyish to her if she did. Instead she sat down on the grassy bank at the edge of the shrubbery and hugged her knees.<p>

Eustace Scrubb was wandering aimlessly around the Experiment House looking for his best friend Jill Pole, and soon came to the decision that she was behind the gym, like the time they got into Narnia. Narnia. He missed the place, it'd been a few years since he'd been back there; he knew Pole missed it too. It was the reason they'd first become friends, when he'd spotted her crying and decided to try and cheer her up by taking her to Narnia. He'd ended up falling off a cliff and the both of them nearly being eaten by giants and then being trapped underground instead.

A few minutes later and he spotted Jill's head.

"Ho! Pole!" He called, walking towards her. She didn't move, but Eustace saw her shoulder shake, like she was trying to hold in a sob. He reached her and plonked himself down beside her.

"What's up, eh?" He asked, putting an arm round her shoulders.

Jill leaned into him and sniffled. "And I told myself I wouldn't cry. It's frightfully babyish of me to do so." She mumbled into his arm. "It's nothing really." She said, looking up to Eustace for the first time. Her eyes were pink and it was obvious that it was not 'nothing'.

"It's obviously not Pole, I know you too well."

"Yes you do." And she turned her head back to his shoulder. "What are you even doing back here Scrubb?" She asked, her voice muffled.

"Looking for you." He jostled his shoulder and Jill groaned.

"Don't."

He chuckled and with his free hand he gently pulled her face away from his shoulder and wiped away a tear with his thumb.

"It's Them, isn't it?"

Jill sniffed, and it told Eustace all he needed to know. "What was it this time." He said it as more of a statement than a question, because it was really. They'd done everything they could to escape the new teachers and rules that prevented them from bullying, and had found a way around.

"They said I was plain and ugly and that no one would ever love me and I'd be a sad old woman and have no life and then I'd die alone!" She gabbled the last bit, and for good reason. Her voice broke on the last few words and she felt compelled to burry her head in Eustace's shoulder to cry.

Eustace frowned. "That's not true. I'll bet there are plenty of people who will like you." He said, turning a light shade of red.

"No, there won't. They're right." Jill huffed.

Eustace set his jaw. "Jill look at me."

Jill's head jerked up at the use of her Christian name. She put her head on one side in an inquiring manner.

"You are not plain and you are certainly not ugly. One day you will find someone who will love you because of your personality and the fact that you are beautiful. You will live together happily forever and not die alone. They will die alone because - I say! You're not crying again are you?" He said, looking at her in a peculiar manner.

Jill sniffed and tried to wipe away the tears that threatened to fall again.

"You are! Gosh, what did I say so I know never to say it again!" He laughed.

"You think I'm beautiful?" She asked, blinking.

_Oh, God, did I say that! I suppose I've got to tell her..._

"Yes, of course." He said, looking away from her, and blushing.

Jill too turned away, biting on her lip.

Eustace sneaked a glance at her, trying not to move his head and look with his eyes. He noticed her lip biting, and turned to properly look at her.

"What's wrong!" He exclaimed, resisting an urge to reach out and comfort her.

"I'm happy." She sobbed, before flinging her arms around his side and hugging him.

"Hm? Oh!" Eustace jumped as she hugged him, but smiled and felt himself turning red. He put one arm round her, and leant his head on hers. They stayed like that for a while, until Jill had stopped crying and felt ready to get up again.

"You okay now Pole?" He asked, holding her at arms length once they were both standing again. She nodded and bit her lip, not trusting herself to talk. She knew if she did, she might cry at any moment. Eustace suddenly did something very un-Eustace like; drawing Jill into a proper hug.

Jill didn't react at first, but soon wound her arms around his neck and breathed deeply. She felt herself relaxing and closed her eyes, smiling.

Eustace smiled to himself over Jill's shoulder. He turned his head to kiss her cheek at the exact same time she moved her head backward. It all happened very fast and neither Jill nor Eustace really knew what had happened as Eustace's lips caught Jill's.

Her eyes flew open and she drew a sharp breath. Eustace realised what had happened and pulled away in surprise.

"I-I-I'm..." Eustace babbled, turning various shades of red. Jill smiled softly, and pressed her lips back to his.

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><p><strong>AN: I like this one :) It's not brilliant but it's a first attempt at a one shot and I hope it was good and you enjoyed it :) Review and tell me what you think? I'm writing more, I'm halfway through one at the moment – it's better than this.**

**Review?**

**Livy ~ xxx**


	2. Baby Chaos!

**A/N: So! I'm so sorry this has taken so long but I totally didn't plan on my iPod killing itself. Well, it didn't really do that I suppose. But anyway, I _did_ plan on getting the info back. Which I have! So here is the next Chapter/One Shot for Jill and Eustace, Baby Chaos!**

**When Jill is left alone with her baby sister, she doesn't know what to do. So, she summons her best friend, Eustace Scrubb. Fun, chaos, and a little bit of romance follows.**

_**Chapter 2 – Baby Chaos!**_

"Oh, Scrubb. Do come over, something frightful has happened!" Jill Pole exclaimed down the phone to her best friend Eustace Scrubb.

"What do you mean- Pole are you okay?" Scrubb gabbled, worried.

"Me? Oh I'm fine. I'll explain when you're here, you won't be long will you?"

Scrubb shook his head, and then realised she couldn't see him. "No. I'll be right over." And put the phone down.

He was true to his word. Within ten minutes, Scrubb was standing outside Jill's house, knocking on the door. A very flustered Jill answered, her hair loosely scrapped back into a ponytail, with a few strands falling over her face.

"Oh thank goodness you're here!" She exclaimed, hustling him inside, "I didn't know if I could last much longer alone!"

Scrubb stared at her, wondering what the problem could be.

"It's my baby sister Emily! Mother went out and I've had to look after her! Gosh it's hard!" Jill gushed, dragging Eustace over to where a blonde haired, chubby baby was laid out on a play mat.

"Well how am I supposed to be of any help?" He asked, turning to face Jill again. "I'm a guy!"

Jill laughed, "Yes, but you can fetch and carry things you know. You're stronger than I am." She crouched down beside Emily. "You proved so in Narnia." She whispered.

"Pole?" He said worriedly, kneeling down beside her. He realised she was biting her lip, something she did when she tried not to cry. "Oh Pole, I'm sure we'll get back there soon! And you never know, there might be an adventure here right around thee corner!" He said, nudging her slightly.

"Hrm." She said, sniffing. "I suppose." She smiled wanly, reaching over and taking Scrubb's hand. He was unaware of the silly grin that spread across his face at her touch until Jill looked at him and said, "Why are you grinning like that?"

Eustace struggled for words, knowing fully well why, yet also unable to say. "Uh..."

A loud shriek from Emily saved him from answering.

"Urgh!" He said, covering his ears. "What does it want?" He wrinkled his nose at the baby in disgust, and Jill couldn't help thinking he looked cute doing so.

"Do something, Pole!" He bawled over the screaming.

"Uh." Jill realised she had been staring at Scrubb's face. She quickly snapped out of it and reached for her sister. She jiggled her in her arms for a bit, but it did nothing to stop her crying.

"Feed it!" Eustace said, hands still over his ears.

"Take her!" Jill said, thrusting Emily towards him.

"Why!"

"I need to prepare her bottle and I can't hold her do it!"

"But-" Eustace didn't have time to protest as be was forced to take the screaming baby from Jill. He held her awkwardly, with one arm under her bottom and the other supporting her head.

"Oh why me?" He whined at her. She only replied by screaming louder than before.

"Shut up!" He screamed back at her, jiggling her up and down slightly, like he'd seen people do before. He had no idea if it'd even work, but he had to do something. Eustace screwed up his face, showing his disgust at the noise.

Then suddenly, it stopped. A high-pitched giggle sounded instead. Scrubb peered down at the baby and smiled.

"It stopped!" He chuckled softly. "Pole! It's quiet!" He bawled through the house.

"So I can hear." Jill said, appearing in the doorway, holding a bottle. She looked like she'd been crying, and Scrubb thought it best not to ask.

"You want to feed her?" She asked, holding out the bottle.

"No fear." Scrubb said hastily, offering Jill the baby back. She rolled her eyes, laughed, and took her sister from the awkward looking boy. She put her in one arm, and offered her the bottle.

Emily reached out with her chubby hands, trying to clasp the bottle. Scrubb put his head on one side and watched Jill admiringly. Natural. He thought. Subconsciously, a smile began to spread across his face as he watched her.

Jill suddenly sniffed, biting her lip again. Scrubb broke out of his train of thought and came to stand by her.

"What's up, eh?" He asked, putting his arm around her shoulder. Jill sniffed again and leaned her head against him, while Emily sucked greedily at the bottle.

"C'mon Pole. Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be okay." He whispered into her hair, turning his head to press his face into her hair.

A small tear escaped, and slid down Jill's cheek at Scrubbs kindness. He had no idea. He never would. She would have to settle for second best, best friend, while he remained completely oblivious. Or she could tell him. She continued to battle internally, until Emily spat out the bottle, and gurgled.

Scrubb didn't move his arm as Jill removed the bottle from the giggling baby's hands. He only removed his arm when Jill handed him the baby again. She smiled, and walked away.

Scrubb felt uncomfortable being left with the small human again. Emily began waving her hands in the air, looking like she wanted to slap Scrubb. He chuckled.

"Hey, stop that." He pressed his finger to her palm and her reflexes kicked in, and she gripped it.

"Are you trying to hold my hand, baby?" He asked, grinning slightly.

Jill paused in the doorway, and watched. Although she could see he was slightly uncomfortable, something about him with her baby sister made her heart flip. Not the fact that it was her sister, because she was a baby. Jill smiled to herself and felt the tears spring to her eyes again. She had to tell him, or she'd go mad.

"Scrubb, I-" She stopped short as he looked up at her, questioningly. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't.  
>"...I think we should take Emily for a walk." She said, chickening out.<p>

Scrubbs eyes widened as he stared at her.

"Seriously!" He muttered. "No way."

"The buggy thing is only in this cupboard." Jill indicated towards the cupboard under the stairs.

"And you want me to get it?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Jill nodded and reached for Emily. Scrubb comfortably placed her into Jill's waiting arms.

He opened the cupboard door. "So where's this th- oh." He reached in for something, and tried pulling it. It didn't budge. He groaned. He began to push it, pull it, turn it, shake it, until it sprang out of the cupboard and nearly knocked Scrubb over.

"Oof." He exclaimed, as he hit the ground. He rolled onto his knees, and pulled the buggy upright.

"How do you... Put it up?" He asked, staring at it confusedly.

"You've got to... Take Emily, I'll do it."

Eustace sighed, and held his arms out for the baby. This was not fun for him, he didn't really like small children, even though some people would count him as one. He was 14! Not a small child in his opinion. Emily wriggled in his arms, drawing his focus.

Jill pulled the buggy upright, and re-aligned the basket underneath. "Pass her here." She said, holding out her arms. As Eustace tried to place Emily in them, Emily stretched both arms back towards him. Jill raised one eyebrow at him and laughed.

"She likes you!" Jill exclaimed, laughing. Eustace tried to mask the smile that was forming on his face with a frown. Jill quickly rescued him from Emily, and strapped her into the buggy.

"What's this for?" He asked, pulling at the plastic that was bunched up at the top. Jill clicked the buckle into place and looked up.

"It's a plastic sheet that keeps the rain off." She said, pulling it down to show him. He shrugged, and she pulled it back up.

"Let's go!" Jill smiled at him, taking hold of the buggy and steering it towards the front door.

"Here." Eustace shrugged his coat on, and rushed forwards to hold open the door.

"Mm." Jill nodded, shoving the clumsy thing forwards.

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><p>Out on the street, Jill paused to check Emily was alright, but the baby just gurgled and stretched her arms past Jill to the sulky looking boy behind her.<p>

"She still likes you better!" Jill said, elbowing Eustace as he stood up.

He shrugged. "Must be my natural charm."

"What natural charm!" Jill joked, grinning at him with the smile especially reserved for him.

Eustace was taken aback by her smile; momentarily stunned, I think you'd call it. Jill's eyes lit up, sparkling ever so slightly. Her grin showed her teeth, something Jill wasn't wont to do unless she particularly liked a person.

He'd never noticed before how Jill had a small, faint spattering of freckles over her nose and cheekbones, and how her nose crinkled a little when she smiled widely. It was the little things he noticed in that moment, the little things that made him smile back.

"So, where are we taking her?" He asked, trying to distract himself.

"Oh, only up the road and back."

"Yeah, only." He said sceptically, glancing up the street. "That's one long walk."

"Well we probably won't go that far, it is a bit much." Jill stopped to move the buggy out of an old lady's way. Jill accidentally put her foot on the edge of a step and nearly fell, but Eustace reached forwards and grabbed her back, pulling her into him.

"Are you okay?" He muttered in her ear, forgetting the old lady.

The lady frowned at the two, and then her frown deepened as she took in Emily. She tutted, shook her head, and then carried on down the road.

Blushing, Jill stepped out of Eustace's hold on her, and busied herself moving the buggy back into the street.

Eustace, holding back a laugh, walked around to the front to check on Emily.

"Did you see that elderly lady there, Em's?" He asked her. Being a baby, she gurgled in reply.

"She thought your sister and I were together!"

Emily clapped her hands, and Jill approved the move with a grin.

"C'mon, baby whisperer, let's go."

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><p>They made it to the top of the road in silence, and without any more problems. They were just on their way back down, when a thunderclap echoed through the air. Emily whimpered, scared, retreating back into her seat.<p>

"Oh, no! Emily doesn't like thunder!" Jill exclaimed, turning to face Eustace.

"Quick." He reached around, and unbuckled Emily's straps with fumbling fingers, before hoisting her out. He placed her against his shoulder, and Emily clung to him as tightly as she could.

"Let's go." And he strode off down the street.

Jill stayed in place, frozen in shock, staring after him. Then she realised how far he'd got.

"Wait for me!" Trying to run, Jill shoved at the buggy to make it move as fast as she could get it. For a moment it wouldn't budge, then suddenly it rolled forwards and she was off.

Another thunderclap rolled in, this time bringing the rain with it. Emily curled as tightly as she could into Eustace's shoulder and started to cry. Eustace rolled his eyes, noticing Jill's house was close.

Jill watched Eustace disappear into her house, whilst still trying to force the buggy down the road. She was just contemplating getting in it and hoping gravity worked when Eustace appeared again.

"Where's Emily!" She demanded.

"In the house. You okay?"

"I'm fine, just getting wet." Jill sighed.

Eustace struggled out of his coat. "Here, take this." He offered it to her, hunching his shoulders from the rain.

She raised an eyebrow at him, but took the coat and put it on. "Thanks."

As she did so, Eustace grabbed the buggy and began pushing it down the road. Not before he'd pulled a stupid face at her, of course.

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><p>Finally getting into her house, Jill immediately ditched Eustace's coat on the side and rushed to her sister.<p>

"Hey, Emily. It's all right now. You were scared, but Eustace made sure you were safe, didn't he?" She tickled her sister's tummy, making her squirm and giggle.

Eustace, meanwhile, was half stuck in the cupboard after figuring out how to disassemble the buggy.

"Eustace?" Jill called, getting up and walking to the cupboard door.

"Mmmm?"

"If you had a daughter, what would you name her?"

"Why?" Came the muffled reply.

"Curious."

"Jill." He said, before muttering to himself, "Though if I named her that, there'd be two Jill Scrubbs..."

Jill, who had heard what he had said, stared at him in surprise. Well, his legs, seeing as the rest of him was in the cupboard.

"Come out of there a second, would you?" She asked, nudging him lightly with her toe.

"Don't you want me to put this thing away?" He asked, drawing his head out and turning to look at her. "I could leave it -"

Jill swiftly cut him off by leaning forwards, and pressing her lips to his.

**A/N: There! What did you think! I really liked this, it's quite cute, don't you think?**

**Drop me a line, tell me you views! And don't forget to tell me if you want the next one! :P I joke, it's coming whether you like it or not… well, maybe.**

**Livy ~ xx**


	3. All The Little Things

**A/N: This was supposed to be the 8th one! I'm working on three, or four as it has now become. Anyway, I was looking at the reviews I got for my last chapter and I felt bad for not having updated because you all give me such encouraging reviews! I felt like I had to put this chapter up seeing as it was finished. **

**So thank you all for liking this, as nuts as that sounds :)**

**I love you all, so here is a rather early chapter! 3 **

_**All The Little Things.**_

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><p>"What did you get for question three?" Eustace Scrubb asked, trying to look over his shoulder at his best friend Jill Pole, except he couldn't see her.<p>

"Mmrh. One second." She said, waving her pen in the air in his direction, not looking up from her paper.

They were sitting in Eustace's form room at the Experiment House, studying and doing their history homework. Eustace was browsing his history book on a separate table in front of Jill, who was still writing her answer.

"Don't poke your tongue out." Eustace said, closing his book.

Jill retracted her tongue and looked up. "How did you know that?" She asked, surprised.

"I know you better than you think." He said, turning around and leaning on the table.

"You do not!" She objected indignantly.

"I really do." He said with a laugh, putting his hands into his pockets.

"Go on then. Tell me something that you know, that you think I don't know you know." She said, putting her pen down and folding her arms across her chest.

"Okay," Eustace shifted his weight to make himself more comfortable, then grinned. "You have a smile you reserve only for certain people which you think I haven't noticed. Your eyes light up to a point at which they almost sparkle. You also show your teeth, which you don't do unless you really like a person."

At this point, Jill put her hand over her lips, hiding her teeth.

"That good enough for you?" Eustace asked, grinning cheekily at her.

Jill started at him, horrified. "How do you know all that!" She asked.

Eustace chuckled. "I know more, if you want to hear it."

Jill shook her head, laughing in disbelief. "Yes. Yeah, I want to hear it!"

"You've got a small, faint smattering of freckles over your nose and cheeks, which you also think nobody's noticed. Your nose wrinkles when you smiled widely. You have multiple laughs for different situations and people. Your eyes are actually two different colours. Your left eye is a dark hazel brown, and your right eye is almost black. But you keep that a secret from everyone. Also, you poke your tongue out when you're concentrating. When you say you're good, you mean it, but when you say you're fine, you usually mean you're upset about something. Your left knee jiggles when you're angry and your right goes when you're nervous. You... You fiddle with your hair when bored - twirl it around your finger. And if you're nervous, you adjust it. Tuck it behind your ears, move it over your shoulder... You know, like that. I could go on but I won't embarrass you anymore." Eustace said, folding his arms over his chest, smirking.

Jill's jaw had dropped and she was staring at him with her mouth hanging open.

"I- you - we-" She scoffed, cutting herself off. "How?" She managed to choke out a minute later.

Eustace unfolded his arms and went and sat by her.

"It's the little things, Pole. I notice them because..." He seemed about to admit something, then changed his mind. "Because you're my best friend." He cleared his throat, and stood up. "Now, what was your answer for question three?"

Jill started at him in disbelief as he walked back over to the book and opened it up.

They worked in silence for some minutes, Jill ignoring his question until she finally said, "But I barely know anything about you. All I know is you're stubborn when you think you're right."

Eustace closed the book again and pushed it aside. "Why does that matter?" He asked, leaning his hands on the table, his back to Jill.

"It does. You can't know everything about me when I know nothing of you."

"So you don't deny that everything I said was right?" Eustace said as he turned and went and sat by her.

"Not if it's all true. How did you know about my eyes? Nobody knows about that and you can't tell unless I'm under harsh light, which there's none of here." Jill said, puzzled. She began chewing on her pen as she thought. Eustace gently removed it.

"That's another thing. You chew your pen when you think." He laughed.

Jill pushed him and laughed. "Okay, stop it. You're scaring me now, you know me better than I know myself!"

"I wish I knew you better." He muttered softly to himself.

"What?" Jill asked, not hearing anything except him mumbling.

"Nothing. Ahem." He stood up. "We need to get to class. The bell will go anytime now."

Jill stood up. "What do I have?" she asked herself as she gathered up her books and papers.

"You've got Mathematics." Eustace answered, sliding his books into one pile and putting them away in his desk.

"Really? You know my timetable as well?" Jill laughed in disbelief as she clasped her books against her chest.

"Of course." He said, straightening up and walking over to stand with her.

"I'll walk with you." He said with a smile. Jill smiled back, not noticing how she gave her reserved-for-special-people smile. But Eustace did, and felt his heart jump.

Eustace closed the door softy behind them, and they began their walk towards Jill's form room.

"What were you about to say? The reason you notice the 'little things'?" She asked, as she looked up at him.

"That? Oh uhm, nothing. Yeah, nothing." Eustace said, flustered.

Jill stopped. "C'mon Scrubb. Do tell. I'm your best friend, you can tell me." She said, uncurling one arm to place on the side of his.

Eustace blushed violently at the touch, but Jill, fortunately for him, didn't notice.

"It wasn't anything particularly, honest." Eustace said, avoiding her eyes.

"It clearly was. Do tell, Scrubb." Jill said, standing in front of him as he tried to walk away.

"Nothing, really!" He said, holding his arms up in defence and trying to back out of the awkward situation.

"Please?" She said, "You know you can tell me anything." She smiled at him, and Eustace sighed.

"I... It's..." Eustace sighed, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then did something Jill would have never thought he was capable of; grabbing her face between his hands and crashing his lips down on to hers, his shoulder hunched.

And Jill didn't stop him. She didn't even stop her when her books slid out from her arms and scattered all over the floor, one landing on her foot. She still didn't stop him when someone wolf-whistled at them.

Because she _simply … didn't … care._

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><p><strong>AN: I made it up about her eyes, but I don't remember it saying what colour her eyes actually are. If it did and I've been stupid and missed it, then please say. If they're brown then I'll leave it.**

**I really like this. I wanted to do something like for a while. I think Eustace is slightly OOC, so I apologise, but he's not my character (DISCLAIM DISCLAIM!) so if he were completely IN character I'd be amazing and probably slightly obsessed… anyway, moving on before I insult somebody.**

**The next one is about a third of the way through, so it will be here soon!**

**I'm going to reply to reviews now, because you guys are amazing **

**Thank you to all the lovely people who have already reviewed.**

**PM me if you want the summary for the next chapter! :) I'm feeling generous today!**

**Livy ~ xxx**


	4. Valentines Day

**A/N: I thought this one was quite sweet, but very short. That doesn't bother me, and I hope it doesn't bother you! My next one is going to be quite long, so this is just a fill between 'shots I suppose.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jill, Eustace or the Chronicles Of Narnia. I do, however, own the plotline/idea. This is a non profit take on The Chronicles Of Narnia, where Jill and Eustace confess the love for each other they have but never confessed in the book!**

_**4. Valentines Day **_

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><p>Jill opened her eyes and yawned, stretching her arms out above her head. It was a good morning and she felt rested, but she just wasn't happy. She couldn't work out why, either. It wasn't until she rolled over to check the time, that she also noticed the date.<p>

_February 14th. Valentines Day._

Jill hated Valentines Day. She detested Valentines Day. All of her friends got letters and cards and gifts and all sorts of things. Jill herself got nothing. Her friends always felt sorry for her and tried to pass some of their gifts to her.

_But luckily, _she thought,_ swinging her legs out of the bed, somebody else never gets anything!_

Eustace Scrubb, Jill Pole's best friend, never got anything either. But it never bothered him like it bothered her. She never let on that it bothered her, of course.  
>Like when she met Eustace before breakfast like she would do every day.<p>

"Morning, Pole." He said, nodding at her. She smiled at him, but it didn't reach her eyes like it normally did. He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes as they walked, but she didn't show any signs of being upset. It then clicked in his mind what today actually was. He smiled to himself then, a knowing smile.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked, grinning up at him, cheeky twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh!" He said, surprised, blushing a fantastic shade of red.

Jill laughed at him and nudged him with her elbow. "Did you give someone a card for Valentines Day?" She asked.

He went redder.

"You did!" She stopped. "Well! Eustace Clarence Scrubb! I would never have thought it of you! Who is she?" She was jumping up and down now, clapping her hands and laughing.

Feeling like a goldfish, Eustace opened and shut his mouth, unable to speak.

"Nobody." He croaked out eventually. "I didn't give anybody one."

"But you're bright red!" Jill protested, frowning.

"Coincidence." He muttered. He didn't want her knowing.

"I'll find out later." She said, grinning again. "I know your handwriting, Scrubb. It's awful!"

That wasn't a lie. Eustace's handwriting wasn't exactly legible. It was neat, too neat. It was neat and messy at the same time, if that was even possible. Jill's handwriting was an elegant swirl compared to Eustace's.

"We'll meet in our normal place once they've been handed out and you can tell me who you sent it to then, okay? And we can compare the amounts of things we've received." She said with a laugh.

Eustace rolled his eyes at her, but nodded. "Meet you there." He said, smiling.

Handwriting aside, she would know who he'd sent one to now. She couldn't wait until the cards and gifts were handed out!

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><p>It was sometime later that Jill and her friends were sat in their form room, waiting. Megan and Amelia were in a loud discussion of who would get most out of all of them, and Jenny and Sarah were planning to work out who'd sent them what. Jill had resigned herself to the comfy armchair with a large book. She didn't need to look up to know when The Things had arrived. The amount of squealing told her all she needed to know.<p>

"Jenny!" Somebody shrieked, "Look how many you got this year!"

"You've got a fair amount as well, Amelia!" Jenny replied.

"OOOOH!" They all cried together, holding up a single red envelope. Jill looked up, curious as to what the excitement was about.

"Pole!" Megan cried, bounding over to the armchair. "You've got one!"

Jill stared in disbelief at her friend, her book sliding off her lap and onto the floor. It wasn't until she took the envelope in her hand and read the name printed on the front that she stopped staring with her mouth open.

It said, clear as day, Jill Pole.

"One of you didn't send this, did you?" She asked sceptically, narrowing her eyes at her excited friends.

"No!" They cried, "We didn't, honestly! One of the boys sent you that!" Her friends began to shriek at her, crowding around the chair.

"Open it, Pole!"

"What's it say!?"

"Who's it from?"

"Hurry!"

"Just open it!"

Their voices mixed together until they became one, and Jill could tune them out.

Wordlessly, she turned the envelope over. There was a collective 'oooh' and much jumping up and down from her friends and they waited impatiently for her to open it.  
>She slid her finger under the envelope flap and began to lift it.<p>

She pulled it out of the envelope and held it between her fingers.

She opened it slowly, savouring the feel of having a real Valentines card from somebody who liked her. The words were nothing special, just her name, Happy

Valentines Day, and a short message instead of a name. It read:

_From someone who's liked you for almost as long as they've known you. When you work this out, come and find me. You know where I'll be._

And that was it. Jill couldn't help the stupid smile that spread across her face as she read the words.

"Who on earth could that be?" Sarah moaned, "I can't trace the writing, he printed it in block capitals. It's just like a boy to do that!"

Jenny hauled Jill out of her chair and hugged her tightly. "Well done girl!" She said as she released her. Jill blushed scarlet and leaned down to picked up her book. As she put it back on the shelf, she glanced in the mirror and noticed she looked none to different from Eustace this morning.

"Who do you think it could be from?" Amelia asked Jenny.

"I don't know, maybe that funny boy she's always hanging around with?"

"Eustace!" She said, at the same time. She'd forgotten all about him.

"Yeah, him- uh, Jill? Where are you going?"

Jill flew from the room and raced out of the school building. THAT'S why it was printed! He knew that she could tell it was from him the moment she looked at the handwriting!

_Oh!_ Jill thought, happily, _I'd never have thought that I'd get one from Eustace of all people!_

Jill's excited run slowed to a walk. _He didn't just send that to cheer me up, did he? He knows I hate this day. And he doesn't know how I feel about him. No, I said I'd meet him, so I will._

She turned a corner and arrived on the little path. Eustace was there already, waiting for her. She raced towards him.

"I was beginning you'd forgotten!" He said with a laugh, as she came to a halt beside him. "It wouldn't be unlike you."

She smiled at him, feeling her worries melt away. "No, not today. Did you get any?" She asked.

"Nope, not this year. How about you?" He asked, looking up at the sky.

"I got one." She said, trying to keep a straight face but failing. A silly smile broke out.

"Did you? Do you know who it's from?" He asked coolly, turning to look at her.

"No. Not a clue," she lied. "Whom did you send yours to?" She asked, grinning.

"You look happy that you got one." He said, putting his hands in his pockets and ignoring her question.

"As long as it's a real one and not somebody having a laugh, then yes, I am."

"Oh, it's a real one all right." Eustace mumbled under his breath.

"Pardon?" Jill asked, not catching anything but incoherent whispers.

"Nothing." He said, smiling again with his knowing smile. "Come on, we should go back in before we get in trouble."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It's short, but I felt it needed to be short to get in what I needed. I hope you like this one!**

**The next one is coming, and so far it's great fun to write! I hope it'll be just as fun to read!**

**Livy ~ xx**


	5. First School Dance

**A/N: I'm excited to post this really! I've been working on this for god knows how long to get it like this. I love this one, I really do. There's parts I hate, thinking why did I write that? But I mostly love it. It's my favourite of all these so far!**

**Here you are guys! Have this BEAST! 3,500 words (give or take) and 7 pages long. Oh boy. Read on and LOVE LIKE I DO! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jill, Eustace or the Chronicles Of Narnia. I do, however, own the plotline/idea. This is a non profit take on The Chronicles Of Narnia, where Jill and Eustace confess the love for each other they have but never confessed in the book!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Experiment house has arranged their first school dance, and Jill's friends have planned to go. When they convince Jill to join them, she asks Eustace to accompany her. Things don't according to plan, and with some humour, anger and all round stupidity, something happens that makes Eustace glad he went after all.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>3. School Disco.<strong>

"No."

"Oh come on! I don't want to either, but they all but forced me!" Jill whined, tugging on Eustace's sleeve.

"Of course they did." Eustace stopped, making Jill bump into him, and he turned and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, they have made me agree to going with them, and I'd feel simply awful if you made me back out now." Jill admitted with a shrug.

"How would I make you back out?" Eustace asked, confused.

"I'm not going to go alone! Don't be ridiculous," Jill let go of his arm, "I need someone to come with me and I could only think of you." She confessed shyly, looking down at her feet.

Eustace looked around him. "Why do we always end up here when we fight?" He asked, taking in the familiar scene.

Jill looked up from her shoes, blush colouring her face, and looked around. They were standing on the path between the gym and the shrubbery. When one of them was upset, they found their way there. Every time they fought, they ended up there too. It was their place, together.

"I don't know. Are we fighting?" Jill asked, looking back at him.

"I suppose. We're certainly having a disagreement, that's for sure." Eustace said, avoiding Jill's eyes by looking up to the sky.

"Why me, Pole?" He asked, finally choosing to look at her.

Their gaze met and Jill jumped. "Oh! Because... Because they wanted me to go with someone and I thought of you because there's nothing between us as we're best friends and... there's no one else I'd want to go with." She gabbled, adding the last bit on softly.

Eustace raised an eyebrow and tried to play it cool, but couldn't help the blush that started creeping up his neck and into his face.

"Okay. I'll go with you to this stupid dance thing."

* * *

><p>The day of the experiment house's dance rolled round, and Jill was worrying. She was sitting in her room in the only dress she owned, wishing she had kept the dress from Narnia, even if giants who intended to eat her had given it to her.<p>

_I don't look half as pretty as I did then,_ she thought, standing up to look in the mirror. _What will Scrubb think? I don't suppose he'll care. I don't know why I let them bully me into this._

Suddenly, the door burst open and Jill looked up in alarm. Jill's friends came flying in and buried her in a flurry of compliments.

"Oh wow, Jill!"

"Jill, you look so pretty!"

"I love your dress!"

"You look perfect, Jill!" her friends cried, making Jill feel slightly better about her dress.

"We must be quick, we're already late as it is!" Jill's friend Jenny said, pulling on her arm.

Giggling, the gang of girls made their way down the corridor. Jill trailed behind, dreading the impending doom she felt. Amelia dropped back to walk with her.

"What's up, eh?" She asked, a bounce in her stride.

"Nothing, nothing." She muttered, pretending to brush her dress down. "I'm just not really looking forwards to it, that's all."

"I'm not greatly looking forwards to it either." She admitted, sighing.

"Why heavens not?" Jill asked, frowning. "At least somebody asked you!"

"Is that what this is about? You never intended to go. Maybe that's why no one asked you." Amelia suggested, shrugging.

"Well," Jill said simply. "I've still got Scrubb, even if it's not the same."

They all arrived and met the people who'd asked them. Jill felt rather left out, and ended being left as the others made their way in. After five minutes, Jill started to get bored.

_Where are you, Scrubb?_

* * *

><p><em>Tonight's your night<em>, Scrubb, don't mess this up. Ten minutes earlier he'd told himself this, as he dragged his fingers through his hair and then tried to put it in a reasonable place. After a while he gave up, not caring anymore. Quick glance at himself, he left. He was wearing a shirt and trousers, but had forgone the tie because they bothered him endlessly. But now he was late, and rushing.

_You're late!_ He told himself furiously, _you can't mess this up; you mightn't get such another good chance._

* * *

><p>Jill waited a few more minutes and was about to give up when, breathless, Eustace burst in.<p>

"I thought you weren't coming." She told him, frowning slightly.

"I'm sorry." He said, giving his hair a quick rub.

"At least you're here now, I suppose," She smiled lightly.

"Let's go." He smiled back at her, offering her his arm.

She nodded, smiling. She curtsied slightly as was the custom in Narnia, and laughed; an inside joke. Eustace chuckled, smiling and shaking his head. She gave him a look, before taking his arm.

They entered the hall, and Jill quickly spotted her friends dancing with their 'dates'. She looked around the hall, awestruck. They'd changed it, hanging coloured tape across the ceiling.

Eustace wasn't looking at the hall or the other dancers at all. He was looking at Jill.

_She looks beautiful, _he thought, surprising even himself, _that dress looks perfect on her! On anyone else, meh, but on her... Wow!_

Jill had on a deep blue knee high dress, which had a skirt that flared from under her waist. The straps were quite thick and went right across her shoulders.

_I wish I could tell you how I feel right now..._ Eustace thought wistfully.

Jill pulled her arm out of his and ran her hand down his arm to slide her hand into his. Eustace looked down and smiled, feeling a peculiar warmth run all over his body, from the tips of his ears to the ends of his toes. He blushed, but luckily it couldn't be seen due to the low lighting.

"Let's dance!" Jill cried, having to be loud over the music. She tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him out into the mix of people.

The song was a fast one, and Jill's dress swirled round as she danced. She wasn't the best dancer there, but Eustace thought she was incredible. She herself thought she had two left feet, yet it was Eustace who had the left feet! He wasn't a brilliant dancer to start, but his awkwardness and distraction over Jill made him worse. He couldn't help but stare as she swayed and sashayed around him, her chocolate curls swinging.

"C'mon Eustace, dance!" She grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers between his, and began swinging her hips and moving her feet. Eustace tried to copy her feet movements, but nearly tripped himself up. He blushed again; he was making a fool out of himself. But Jill didn't seem to notice, her cheeks flushed, eyes bright and a wide smile on her face, hair flying everywhere.

She didn't notice at all. She was trying to get him to really dance with her, confident and fun. Eustace could be great fun sometimes, and she wanted now to be one of those times. There were moments where she suspected he might be in love with her, which made her heart flip for reasons she didn't understand.

_Am I in love with him? _She asked herself, as she twirled around under his arm, looking at his admiring gaze. She liked the way she felt under his gaze. She felt warm and fuzzy, adding to her already wide smile.

* * *

><p><em>I have to tell her tonight or I'll go mad!<em> Eustace thought, watching her smile wider. _She's so beautiful, what are the chances she'd like me too?_ He shook his head and continued to watch her, feeling strange inside. He was moving slightly with her, fingers still intertwined. The song ended and a slow one came on. Jill stopped dancing and let go of one of his hands.

"I'm thirsty," She announced, and began dragging him towards the drinks. She chose a glass of water, and drank it eagerly while Eustace stood with his arms folded.

He waited patiently for her to finish. She drank it quickly and put the cup down. Eustace reached for her hand and lead her away from the surge of people. Once they were a safe distance away, he dropped her hand.

"Pole - uh, Jill, I- um, I really... I think..." He started, flustered.

"Hey, Jill!" Somebody called, waving their arms above their head.

Oh great." He muttered under his breath, as he watched Jill turn to look at the approaching person. Her face changed from one of confusion to one of happiness as she saw her friend emerge through the crowd.

"Jenny!" Jill cried, stepping forwards.

"Hey Jill! How's your night going?" She asked.

"Really well, thanks, apart from Mr. Two Left Feet over here!" Jill joked, laughing.

"Oh!" Jenny laughed too, grinning. "My date is really boring me - come dance!" Jenny reached to grab Jill's arm and dragged her away.

"Bye Scrubb!" Jill called as she disappeared into the mass of people.

"Great." Scrubb muttered. The song had changed to another fast one, so many people were making their way over to dance, and many were moving away.

"Hey look! Over here!" Someone called, and Scrubb saw a waving hand over everyone's heads. A group of boys appeared at the edge and made their way towards him. He rolled his eyes as one of them gave him a thump on the back.

"Girl left you already?" One asked, and the others howled with laughter.

"Yeah!" Another one piped up, "And it's only the start of the night!" They howled with laughter again, and Scrubb was overcome with a desire to punch one of them.

"Ha ha, very funny guys." Scrubb said, giving them all a sarcastic look.

"C'mon pal, we're just messing!" The first one said, giving Scrubb a thump on the arm.

Scrubb sighed and stared into the huddled bodies, wishing Jill was with him.

* * *

><p>Jill was dancing like mad with her friends, having formed a little group of four. Everyone else was watching them, almost like a dance circle. Two boys came in and took hold of Amelia and Megan, leaving Jenny and Jill dancing together.<p>

"This is great fun!" Jenny cried to Jill over the noise of the others and music.

"It is!" Jill agreed, nodding her head so enthusiastically her hair bounced.

A few moments later another boy came and took Jenny's hand and spun her around. Jill was left by herself, wondering where Scrubb was, until somebody caught her hand.

"Dance with me?" He asked, twirling her around. As Scrubb was nowhere in sight and as Jill was alone again, she nodded. The boy smiled and took her other hand. He was a good dancer, and soon she and another couple were in a real dance circle together. Jill found that she was really enjoying herself, regardless of Scrubb being there or not.

* * *

><p>Scrubb had joined the middle of the circle, and was watching his supposed date dance with another boy.<p>

_I know you, _he thought_, you're... Oh, what'shisname... Joshua. I didn't like you much to start but I like you even less now!_

The songs changed again, and went to a slow one. Joshua went to pull Jill into him, but Eustace intercepted them. Joshua looked at him, confused and angry.

"Hey Jill." He said, as he tried to spin her away. He surprised both himself and Jill by managing to do it well.

"What was that about!?" Jill demanded once they were out of hearing range of others.

"Well..." Eustace started, hesitantly. His earlier courage evaporated, and he found himself without anything to say in reply.

"Well?" Jill asked again, impatient. She may have even stamped her foot, but she was too angry to notice. Eustace's lack of an answer just annoyed her even more.

She'd been having a good time and then Eustace butted in and swept her away, not even giving her a chance to say anything about it. She was annoyed at him for that, and partly annoyed at herself, not that she would ever admit it. She knew that it was partly her fault, if she hadn't gone off with Jenny without telling Scrubb anything, he wouldn't have had to come looking for her. She knew that she had said to him that there wasn't anyone else she wanted to go with so he had come specifically for her, and there she was dancing with another guy. It was partly her fault and she knew it. She just wasn't going to let on that she knew it.

Scrubb, having not come up with a decent answer, shrugged. "I wanted to dance with you." He said, lamely.

"And you couldn't have waited!? Urgh!" Jill threw her hands in the air and made to flounce off, when Scrubb screwed up his courage.

"It's... I love you." He said, knowing that nobody could actually hear him. Jill didn't turn, didn't look, but he knew that she was too far away to have heard. He sighed, stuck his hands in his pockets, and begun to make his way outside.

Unfortunately for him, Joshua stopped him just before he could reach the doors.

"What did you mean by coming between me and that girl?" He demanded, stepping in front of Scrubb.

Scrubb ignored him, stepped around him and continued his path to the exit.

"Hey, listen to me!" Joshua said, grabbing at Scrubb's arm. "That girl was really attractive looking and I was sure I was going to get a kiss and make Sophie jealous -"

Scrubb had tuned him out by this time, the image of Jill's naïve, yet innocent and trusting face in his mind, and her being used to make another girl jealous made Scrubb want to punch Joshua in the face.

"You leave Jill alone." He said, turning to Joshua. He meant it to sound indifferent but it came out far more menacing than he intended.

Joshua looked at him in surprise, then shrugged. "I don't know what's going on here, but I don't wanna get involved. That girl is gone. Hey, Sophie!" He said to the girl approaching him from the side. A strawberry blonde haired, cross-looking girl stood with her arms folded over her chest. Eustace rolled his eyes and walked away. He made it outside, and sat down in one of the chairs that happened to be placed there. He dropped his head to his hands and balanced his elbows on his knees. He sighed, deeply.

_I give up. Tonight is NOT my night, not our night. I don't need to mess this up, it's messed up enough for me. I'm going to bed,_ he thought. He sat up and leaned backwards, stretching his legs out. He closed his eyes and tried to remember any good part of the night. None came to mind other than the very start. _That being said, or thought, the night hadn't actually been that long. Still,_ thought Eustace,_ I'm off. Jill's got this covered, she doesn't actually need me here._

"Hey, Scrubb!" Called a familiar voice. Eustace groaned inwardly. "What're you doing out here?"

"I needed some air," Eustace told Jill truthfully. That was part of the reason he was out there.

"Oh. Right." Jill came to a stop in front of him. "It's not... What I did, or – or said, is it? I - I'm out here because I went to the bathroom."

"No, no it's not that." He lied.

"Are you sure?" She asked, hesitantly, sitting down slowly next to him. "Because I basically made you come with me, then left you for that guy. Josh, or whatever." She looked at him softly, almost pityingly, and he hated it. But her eyes showed something else that Eustace didn't see. She was worried about him in that moment.

"Well, it was my choice to come." Eustace said, eventually. He couldn't care less about her reasons now. It was done and he had given up.

"What did you say as I left?" Jill asked, surprising Eustace. He didn't think she'd heard at all.

"Nothing." He lied again. "Nothing important."

"Oh." Jill contemplated this, but said nothing. She looked around the foyer, awkwardly.

"So..." She started.

"I love you." Eustace said, looking into her eyes.

"Hey, Jill! Where'd you get to!?" One of her friends shouted, drowning Eustace out completely.

"What?" She asked him, but before he could answer, her friend jumped on her.

"Jill, Jill, you've gotta come back down here! They're saying they're gonna do some slow songs then finish up." Amelia told her breathlessly. She had a face splitting grin, and shook Jill's arm eagerly.

"Already?" Jill asked, wrenching her arm free from her friend's grip and standing up.

"Yeah. Apparently we need to get to bed soon, and we were later than we thought." Amelia nodded, snorting at the idea of needing to go to bed early.

Jill nodded, smiling. "Alright, let's go." As she walked towards the doors, Eustace stood up and began to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jill demanded, whirling around, hands on hips.

"Uh... Bed?" Eustace said hesitantly.

"Aw c'mon, there are only a few songs left." Jill moaned, staring him down.

She looked so beautiful to Eustace, standing with her hands on her hips, staring at him slightly disapprovingly. How could he say no?

"You can dance with Josh if you want." Eustace protested lamely. Jill grinned, knowing he'd given in.

"Nope, I'm dancing with you." She reached for and grabbed his wrist, dragging him with her back into the hall.

_So it's not over!_ Eustace thought. _One last shot. And it blooming better work!_

A slow song was playing as they made their way through the crowds of people. They came to a halt and Jill let go of Eustace's wrist.

"What do you want me to...?" Eustace started, awkwardly.

"Here." Jill jumped in, saving him. She grabbed his wrists again and put his hands around her waist. He blushed furiously, but thanks to the dark lighting nobody could tell. Jill rested her hands on his shoulders and smiled to herself. Finally, things were going her way.

They danced like this for a while, moving their feet from side to side in time with the song, Eustace feeling incredibly awkward. The song changed again, becoming the final song, slow and romantic. Jill rested her head against Eustace's shoulder and knotted her fingers together behind his neck. He tightened his slightly awkward hold to a more comfortable one, bringing her body closer to his. He turned red again, and cursed himself. After a moment it dawned on him that he had Jill full against him, and he smiled. The feeling of Jill in his arms was something he'd imagined, but this... It wasn't anything like he had imagined. It was much better, and he never wanted the song to end.

They stayed like this for about a minute, when Eustace rested his cheek against Jill's head and closed his eyes, smiling. They looked like any other couple, happy in each other's arms.

Eustace leaned his head forwards, until his mouth was level with her ear.

"Jill?"

"Mmm."

"I love you." He said, finally.

There was a moment of silence, and Eustace started to worry. What if she told him that she didn't want anything to do with him, or he messed up their friendship and made things uncomfortable and awkward? _No,_ Eustace told himself, _I said I'd do this. If I didn't do it tonight then I might never do it. I'd regret it for the rest of my life._

Softly, Jill said, "I thought so."

Eustace froze. "What?" He asked her.

"I thought that's what you said earlier, that's why I asked what you said. I didn't know if I'd heard you right." She admitted, sighing.

"Oh. Jill, I-"

"Eustace?" She cut him off.

"Yeah?"

"I don't care what you have to say in your defence." She lifted her head off of his shoulder to look him full in the face. Her eyes shone in the dim light and Eustace soon realised that it was tears sparkling in the corner of her eyes. Slowly, she brought one hand from behind his neck to lie against his cheek. "Because..." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and sighed. She then opened her eyes and smiled softly.

"I love you too."

**A/N: God, I love this. I can't believe I actually wrote this, I think its so awesome! Because that's not sounding conceited or anything… shut up, Livy, go listen to Mr. Brightside again.**

**I hope you like this as much as I enjoyed writing this!**

**PLEASE PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS AND IF I SHOULD WRITE SOME MORE! EVEN TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK I SHOULD WRITE, I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS! :D**

**Till next time, dudes!**

**Livy ~**

**(8) Cause I'm Mr. Brightside! (8)**


	6. Mine

**A/N: Okay, I am so sorry for such a long wait for this! I've started college, been hammered with revision, homework and exams, found a new online game (league of legends...) and lots more friends and so little time! This has been sitting on my ipod for months now... It's short and probably bad, but you deserve it. I'm planning on writing a few ****_little_**** little ones, and then a much longer one... Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jill, Eustace or the Chronicles Of Narnia. I do, however, own the plotline/idea. This is a non profit take on The Chronicles Of Narnia, where Jill and Eustace confess the love for each other they have but never confessed in the book!**

_**Mine!**_

* * *

><p>"Stop!"<p>

Eustace and Jill were walking from class to their spot behind the gym, when they heard the weak shout. There was the sound of male laughter, and then someone shouted again. Being in one of the top years at the school, Eustace knew almost everyone. The pair turned and saw almost at once what was happening.

A youngish blonde girl was sitting at an outside table, trying to work. A group of four boys, perceived again as Them, were stealing her things and taunting her. One of them laughed, grabbed her pen from her and then threw it at her, hitting her on the forehead.

"Leave me alone!" She cried, putting her hand up to her forehead.

One of the boys nudged the other, laughed then pushed her. She slipped and nearly fell off her chair.

Jill gasped and put her hand over her mouth, grabbing Eustace's arm and looking up at him.

He nodded and walked over to the gang.

"Hey! You leave her alone." He said, menacingly. The girl stared up at him in amazement, and the boys just glared at him.

Eustace glared back, "Go on. Get out of here." He said quietly, but there was a subtle threat in the undertones making the boys look at each other awkwardly, then leave.

"Thank you!" The girl gushed, standing up and grabbing at Eustace's arm.

Surprised, Eustace forced a smile.

"I'm Lilly," She said, smiling widely. "I can't believe you did that for me."

"I hate seeing people being bullied." Eustace shrugged, "I used to get bullied so I know how horrible it is."

"I can't believe you'd ever get bullied, you're so tough." Lilly simpered, dropping back into her chair.

"Not really. I learnt that from N-" He stopped suddenly, about to say Narnia. "Somewhere," He finished.  
>"You just have to stand up to them."<p>

"Easier said than done," Lilly sighed, "They seem to have it in for me, and I don't know what I've done."

"Well hopefully they won't bother you again." Eustace said, smiling. He saw Jill waving him over from the corner of his eye and added, "I best go. Nice meeting you... Uh..?"

"Lilly." She told him, with a silly laugh.

"Right," He muttered, before he turned and fled.

* * *

><p>"Goodness, Scrubb! That was quick!" Jill said, with a laugh. They were sitting with their backs to the gym, feet among the shrubbery. The grass wasn't wet for the first time in ages, so they'd been able to sit down.<p>

"What?" Eustace asked innocently, staring at her while she laughed.

"That girl! C'mon, she was all over you! It was so funny." Jill said, in disbelief. "Are you that oblivious?"

"Obviously." He said, raising an eyebrow at her. "All she did was tell me her name," He defended, shrugging.

"Oh, come on!" Jill said, snorting, "That's what it looks like to you, the guy, but really..." She scoffed. "Who's she kidding?" She added softly.

"What?" Eustace asked, hearing mumbles.

"I said, who's she kidding? You're..." She paused, deliberated, and then changed the word she intended to use. "You," She finished, turning her head to look at him.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He asked, defensive.

"Well... You're... You're, um..." She blushed scarlet, seemingly at nothing, then said, "Nothing, forget it."

Eustace frowned, deep in thought. They sat in silence for a number of minutes, and then the bell went.

"Nope, can't think of anything. Do tell, Pole." Eustace said as he pushed himself upright.

"I said forget it, okay?" Jill said, brushing down her skirt and walking away.

Eustace caught up quickly, "I want to know. What did you mean by what you said?"

Jill stopped, turned to face him, "I meant -"

"Oh, Eustace!" A voice cried, interrupting Jill. A blonde head bobbed towards them, smiling. "I wanted to thank you again for what you did for me." Lilly said, gazing up at Eustace, seemingly oblivious to Jill's furious glare.

Out of the corner of his eye, Eustace saw Jill's expression, and smiled inside. He'd get it out of her, and he knew just the way.

"That's quite alright, Lilly." Eustace said with false enthusiasm. "In fact, what lesson have you got next? I'll walk you there so you don't see them, if you like. They are awful bullies." His words were spoken in the way you would speak to a child, almost patronisingly, but Lilly didn't notice. She simply beamed at him, her smile wider than anyone's Jill had ever seen before. Her face positively black, she looked angrier than the darkest storm cloud.

_How dare she!_ Jill thought, as she rather abruptly flounced off, head in the air. _How dare she do that with MY man!_ Then she blushed. She didn't care that Eustace wasn't technically hers, she'd always called him that and she always would.

She realised now, as she slowed her angry walk to a slower pace as she thought, that she liked him. And that she **liked** him liked him.  
><em>So I like him, I do. How most inconvenient! That girl better go, or I'll find away to get rid of her!<em> Jill thought, her jealous side flaring up and making her angry again.

"Hey Pole!" Eustace called, "Wait!"

Jill snorted, pushed all thoughts out of her head and marched briskly towards her classroom.

"Slow down!" Eustace said with a laugh, as he drew up along side her.

"Hmph," She snorted again, "Go and walk with Lilly."

"Going to tell me now?" Eustace challenged with a cheeky grin.

"Certainly not." Jill said, snottily. She reached for the door handle in front of her and violently yanked it open.

"Good day, Scrubb."

Eustace spent his next few lessons confused, until he caught up with Jill again.

"Come on Pole, what's up? You don't usually keep things from me." He asked, starting to worry.

However the girl snubbed him, swinging her hair into his face and marching off in the other directing, nose in the air - all very much unlike Jill!

As Jill stormed off, Eustace shrugged. If she didn't want him around, he knew somebody else that would.

Jill was horrified when she watched Eustace walk in Lilly's direction, and she immediately sat down and began to plan.

_What can I do that will say to Eustace that I like him and tell Lilly to back off?_ She thought, chewing on a loose nail. She removed her fingers from her mouth violently, trying to break the habit. She began to nibble her lips instead, and a smile began to spread across her face as she thought of the perfect thing to do.

Leaving her lunch with her friends and her stomach tying itself in knots, Jill crossed the ground towards Eustace.

"Eustace!" She called, but he ignored her. She felt sick with nervousness, but gritted her teeth and strode up to him. She stopped, screwed up all her courage, laid a hand on his arm and said, "There you are, I've been looking for you for so long!"

She then put her other hand against his cheek, pulling his head round to look at her instead of Lilly. Her stomached flipped over in anxiety of what she did next. She leaned forwards, drew his face up to hers, and planted her lips on his, eyes closed.

Eustace inhaled sharply, shocked. Jill's perfect face pressed against his, her perfect nose touching his cheek, her beautiful eyes closed just inches away from his own, and her lips... Her perfect, soft looking lips moving in complete harmony against his own. His eyes drifted closed, and he found himself leaning up into the kiss, moving his lips against hers.

Jill pulled away in surprise when she felt Eustace kiss her back. She certainly hadn't been expecting that!

"Sorry, Lilly," Jill said, in a sweet voice, "But he's mine."


End file.
